Fools Rush In
by truly unruly
Summary: Oneshot. Angel tells Collins that she loves him for the first time. Sometimes it's the imperfections that make the moment so perfect. AngelCollins.


**No, RENT is not mine. Nor are Angel and Collins. If they were mine, I certainly wouldn't share them with you lovely people. ;)**

**Anyway, this has probably been done half-a-billion times before and the characters are probably OOC and everything is probably wrong with the world…but I had fun writing it. And the whole point of this is to get better, so con-crit would be brilliant. So would your regular I-loved-it-you're-so-talented reviews (hinthint) but I'll deal with almost everything, haha. So, yeah, if you're reading, a review would be appreciated.**

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**Fools Rush In**

"I can do this…I can do this…"

It wasn't like Angel to be nervous—normally, she exuded confidence in herself, her sexuality, her opinions, etc. Never before had she felt the bizarre mix of trepidation and doubt that came from putting oneself truly _out there_, at risk of getting hurt or achieving the one thing one has always striven for.

Never before had Angel told someone she loves him.

Well, _technically_, she tells her mama it all the time. And Mimi, of course. But this is the first time in all her twenty-six years that Angel has been _in love_.

With her usual spring in her step even bouncier due to her excitement, Angel pushed out of Mimi's apartment and practically charged up the stairs in her haste to reach the loft. So quickly, in fact, that she almost barreled straight through Mark, standing on the landing with his camera.

"January the third, one p.m., EST," he narrated in monotone, "Close-up on Angel Dumott-Schunard, the lovely young drag queen who just tried to kill me…"

Giggling, Angel blew a kiss at the camera and winked, "You know it, sugar!"

"Going to see Collins?"

Angel grinned and answered, a little enigmatically, "Something like that."

Mark smiled a little behind his filming before adding, "Well, he's on the phone right now to some friend from MIT. You might be waiting a—"

"That's okay!" Angel trilled. She wasn't going to let anything kill her buzz. If she was disheartened enough, she knew she would chicken out and she needed to do this. They had pretty much done everything but say the words, even though it hadn't even been two weeks yet—but what did _time _matter when you had so little left? It was a new year and Angel was determined to get her new start.

Collins was at the kitchen counter when Angel burst in, his back to her as he murmured in a low voice. Willing her heels to be silent for a minute, Angel crept up behind him, a grin threatening to split her face.

"…and if they're not willing to face up to actual reality, then…oh, hang on a sec, Dave," Collins was saying, and then spun around, "BOO!"

Angel shrieked and leapt back a few feet, much to Collins' amusement. He promptly began roaring with laughter, ignoring Angel's huffs of indignation.

"You _heard _me!" she cried, "_Hijo de perra_!"

"I love it when you talk dirty," Collins smirked, and then leant in and kissed her, "Hey, beautiful."

Despite herself, Angel melted against him, smiling against his lips. In actuality, she _loved _that he knew her so well already. She loved how he managed to turn the tables on her. She just plain loved him.

"I have something to say," Angel told him the moment he broke away, "Are you busy? Mark said you were on the—" then she noticed the black receiver Collins was clutching; the one rarely used due to the boys' preference to screen, "Ooh, you are! Can I say hi? _Hola, señor_!"

Cackling, Collins held the phone away from her, "Someone's happy today! Wait a minute."

He pressed the phone back to his ear, "Sorry, Dave, that was just Angel," A pause, during which a little smile quirked his lips, "Oh, she's…she's something special alright."

Angel beamed.

"So, how are things down at ol' MIT?" Collins asked, leaning back against the counter, "No, I'm pretty happy here right now. But honestly, they're falling apart without me, right?"

Angel's smile faltered. _Is he really…?_

"How long are you gonna—?"

Collins held up a finger. The one-minute sign. Angel recognized it because she used it whenever she had no intention of getting off the phone anytime soon. _Shit!_

"Collins!" Angel wailed. However, Dave _whatsername _chose that moment to say something particularly hysterical, because Collins began to crack up. Angel scowled, which she really hated.

_Relax, hun. You can't rush something as important as an "I love you". Just be patient…_

Collins hopped up onto the counter and inquired after Dave's family.

_Fuck patience_.

"Collins, it's important!" she cried. Eyes widening, Collins pressed the phone to his shoulder and grabbed her elbow.

"Is it…?" he trailed off, clearly worried about saying the A word. AIDS. "Are you…?"

"What?" Angel asked confusedly, before realization struck, "Oh God, _no_, honey! I'm not going anywhere!"

Breathing an obvious sigh of relief, Collins pulled Angel towards him, "Good. _Real _good," then he leant his forehead against hers and smiled a little, "Girl, you know not to scare me like that. I love you too much to lose you."

"Aww, that's swe—what?"

"I said not to sc—"

Angel shook her head, hazel eyes wide, "You said you _loved _me!"

Surprised, Collins released her, snatching his hand away as though she'd burnt him. In the sudden silence, Angel could hear Dave's voice calling and the familiar chords of _Musetta's Waltz _floating through the thin walls of Roger's room.

"Are we not saying that yet?" he asked awkwardly, his dark eyes shining with hurt. Angel's jaw dropped. Only she could walk into a room, intent on telling her lover she was in love and then accidently reject his own admission!

"Of course we are, honey," she assured him, "I just…"

Collins frowned, "What?"

Angel smiled shyly, "…was supposed to say it first?"

A pause. "_Collins? You still there?_"

Collins lifted the phone, "Uh, yeah. Dave, 'm gonna have to call you back."

He ended the call before Dave could object and then pulled Angel closer, "Tell me now."

Feigning innocence, Angel played with the collar of his shirt, "But the moment's _ruined _now…"

"Nuh-uh. Come on, say it, baby."

She grinned coyly, "I don't know."

Without hesitation, Collins pressed his mouth to Angel's again, a slow, languid kiss that made her think about their first one, and the promise of a thousand sweeter ones to follow as snow danced around them.

"I love you," she blurted out. The words were muffled against Collin's lips but—hey—they were _out there_. And so was she. But she had her safety net with her—her future—her Collins.

He pulled away, grinning triumphantly, "I knew it."

Angel smiled back and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Both of them murmured the words a few more times, getting used to the feel of them in their mouths. _I love you. I love you. Angel loves Collins. Collins loves Angel_.

Sure, maybe they had known each other for only a few weeks. Yeah, perhaps only fools rush in. And, right, they didn't know what kind of future they had together, whether they would still have one another in a few weeks or months. But even if their whole relationship was moving too fast or seemed too unlikely, they didn't care. They had this moment.

And it was perfect.

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**I am still the Queen of Cheesy Endings. I'm thinking of getting a certificate. Oh, and the very brief Spanish I used was something I randomly felt like using...using Google Language Tools...but, hey, _hijo de perra _looks a hell of a lot nicer than its English counterpart, _son of a bitch_. :D**

**Anyway, you know the drill. Let me know what was good/bad/cute/sickening/etc. Just click on the little button below…it's not green anymore, but still tempting, right?**

**Thanks for reading!**


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